The much-anticipated Tour will also be available with a 3.2 megapixel camera, and it's slated for release on Sunday, July 12. The Tour is currently listed for pre-order on Verizon's website for $199.99 with new two-year service agreement and following a $70 "online discount." Sprint is expected to release its own version of the Tour in the near future, and it will also presumably be available with or without a digital camera.

The camera-less version of the Tour is significant because many organizations--government agencies, medical institutions, etc.--ban cameras from certain premises and locations, so folks with camera-equipped handhelds are forced to check them at the door.

That means that organization with no-camera policies were forced to use "old" or outdated devices. As of July 12, those same organizations will be able to equip their workers with the latest and greatest in BlackBerry tech.

Al Sacco is an award-winning journalist, blogger and editor who covers the fast paced mobile beat for CIO.com and IDG Enterprise, with a focus on wearable tech, smartphones and tablet PCs. Al manages CIO.com writers contributors and covers news, shares insightful expert analysis of key industry happenings, writes a wide variety of tutorials and how-tos to help readers get the most out of their gadgets, and regularly offers up recommendations on software for a number of mobile platforms. Al resides in Boston and is a passionate reader, traveler, beer lover, film buff and Red Sox fan.